


Howl

by theflyinganonymouse



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Werewolf!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-07 02:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/743044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theflyinganonymouse/pseuds/theflyinganonymouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I have better things to do tonight than die.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Howl

  “I have better things to do tonight than die.”

 “Well, we better be careful then, ey?”

 “You’re such a dick.”

 “But you love me anyway.”

 “You’re a cheeky bastard, too, but, yeah, I love you.”

 A pause.

 A quick kiss.

 “Now, can we go? It’s nearly time. I can feel…”

 But he doesn’t have to say anything more.

 The other boy can feel it, too.

 They leave the house, fingers entwined between their bodies, and they head for their safe spot.

 They have to be careful.

 They have to time it perfectly right.

 They can’t be caught.

 They both know what would happen if they were.

 Their journey through the woods is silent and they listen carefully for any sign that they’re not alone.

 Every whisper of wind that rouses the leaves from their sleep among the branches, every movement of nocturnal animals scurrying for food beneath the pale light of the moon, every soft breath they take.

 They’re distractions.

 The snapping of a twig underfoot or the whispers of hunters can be lost in those noises.

 They know that from experience.

 They’re nearly there, so close to their destination, when the smaller boy stops with a sudden gasp of pain and a frantic whisper of, “Harry!”

 “Shit, it’s too soon, we’re so close!”

 “I can’t-!”

 “I know.” He says because he does.

 Once the transformation starts, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. 

 “You go- I’ll, I’ll meet you-.” He lets out another pained gasp and he drops to his knees.

 “Niall-.”

 “Go, Harry.  _Please_.”

 Harry nods, worry flooding through him, and he murmurs a quick, “I love you.”

 He turns and runs then, without waiting for any response, knowing that any pretence of secrecy and safety has been lost.

 He hears Niall let out a howl of agony from behind him but he can’t stop.

 He can’t.

 He makes it to what would have been their safety, a small shack hidden in the thickest patch of wood, and he hurries inside, closing the door firmly behind himself.

 The rest of the pack are already there.

 “Niall?” Liam asks, his brown eyes wide.

 There’s another howl then, ripping through the quiet of the shack, and Harry can still hear the pain in it but there’s something more now, something that isn’t quite human.

 It’s all the answer the other boys need.

 “Shit.” Zayn whispers with a wince and he rubs his hands together, nervously.

 “You should have set off earlier.” Louis tells him with a frown, suddenly pacing. “Niall is always one of the first.”

 “I know.” Harry replies.

 “It doesn’t matter.” Liam says. “It’s too late.”

 “Has there been any sign of hunters?” Harry asks the others.

 The feeling of _change_  has increased and his skin is tingling.

 He knows his transformation will happen soon.

 Liam gives him a look and Harry knows.

 He swears.

 “We’ll keep together.” Louis says. “We’re stronger together.”

 Harry gives him a jerky nod and he begins to shed his clothes without thought.

 The other boys understand and don’t question his actions.

 Then, it begins.

 Harry doesn’t fight it, not like some of the others do, because he knows there’s no point.

  Nothing can stop it.

 His limbs begin to shift and move under his skin and he can feel the contracting of muscles but it doesn’t hurt.

 Not really.

 Not like it does for Niall and Zayn.

 Harry had heard them talk about the agony of their transformations, had heard their screams, seen the pure pain on their faces, and he’s glad that it isn’t like that for him.  

 He feels lucky that his body does no more than tingle and twist and change.

 It’s finished within a minute.

 He stretches his new body out, hears the popping of joints, before he settles down to wait for the others, green eyes watching intently.  

 Louis is next and his transformation is much like Harry’s.

 Quick, painless and over in seconds.

 Liam follows soon after.

 His transformation takes longer and Harry hears the small gasps of pain that the older boy lets out, though, he tries to hide it.

 Their leader doesn’t like to show weakness in front of the pack.

 Harry begins to grow impatient as the minutes drag by while they wait for Zayn’s transformation.

 He prowls around the small space, the gentle click of his claws on the wooden floor keeping silence at bay, and knows that every extra minute spent waiting is another that Niall, his mate, is out there alone and vulnerable.

 Then Zayn lets out a whimper and Harry knows it has begun.

 The smell of pain is picked up by the other three and they watch with sympathetic eyes as Zayn pulls his clothes off before falling to the floor and writhing in agony.

 Zayn screams and swears and cries and the sound of it hurts their sensitive ears but they don’t move away or make any indication of their discomfort.

 Zayn needs them.

 Harry’s just thankful that they had soundproofed the shack months ago, when all of this was so new, so that they would have somewhere safe to transform.

 And then, with one final grunt of pain, Zayn’s transformation is over.

 Liam stands then and the other three follow him to one of the corners and he pushes at the padded wall with his muzzle, putting most of his weight behind it, and a section of the wall falls outwards.

 The four large creatures, who had been teenage boys not fifteen minutes before, slink from the shack and into the dark of the night.

 Harry sniffs at the air and picks up the scent of their missing pack mate immediately.

 He’s close.

 But not close enough to give away their safe spot.

 Liam gives a nod of his shaggy head and they creep after Harry through the thick undergrowth that hides the shack from view.

 Once they are in the open they break into a run and it feels good, so good, to stretch their new limbs out once again.

 Louis snaps playfully at Harry’s feet and Harry increases the pace.

 They run deeper and deeper into the woods and then, suddenly, a mass of fur and muscle slams into his side and knocks him to the leaf covered floor.

 They roll together down the slight hill Harry and the rest of the pack had just been travelling up, nipping at each other and nuzzling and smelling, before finally coming to a stop with Harry pinning the smaller body beneath his.

 Their tongues are lolling from their mouths but they’re happy because they’re together again.

 Niall lifts his head slightly and licks the side of Harry’s snout.

 Their eyes meet and they stare at each other for the longest time, love flowing through each of their bodies and setting their blood on fire.

 The moment is broken, however, by Louis and Zayn pushing Harry to the side so that they can greet their pack mate and Harry lets them.

 He trots to Liam, stood further back from the rest of the pack, ears pricked and forever on guard, and sniffs at the wind.  

 He doesn’t pick up the scent of the hunters the other had mentioned.

 But, there’s something else…

 Prey.

 Liam lets out a quiet bark, obviously having smelt the same thing Harry had, and the others immediately jump to attention.

 Liam barks again and then they’re stalking through the trees once again, paws barely making any sound against the soft earth.

 Further and further into the woods they go, perhaps further than any human has been in years, but they don’t stop.

 They can all smell it now.

 Deer.

 Harry takes point, having the best sense of smell, and the others fan out behind him. Zayn to his left, Niall and Louis to his right and Liam at the back, protecting the rear of the group.

 They’re so close.

 So very close.

 They circle around where the deer are so they’re stood downwind of the animals.

 They don’t want the deer to catch their scent and bolt.

 Though, Harry has always quite enjoyed the thrill of the chase, Liam prefers them to hunt like this, less chance of becoming separated from the pack and also less chance of drawing any unwanted attention to themselves.

 Harry hears a twig snap behind him and he turns to look at his pack mates as the deer look up in alarm at the sudden noise.

 Niall gives Harry a look that the younger knows should be apologetic but Harry knows his mate better than that.

 Niall enjoys the thrill of the chase just as much as Harry.

 The deer are jumpy and Harry know they’re about to bolt.

 Liam suddenly plunges passed Harry and into the clearing, aiming to take down one of the deer before they disperse into the woods around them, but his movement comes seconds too late and the deer are running before Liam can even get a paw to one of them.

 Zayn lets out a howl and then they’re all running into the clearing.

 Niall runs at Harry’s side as they hunt the same deer through the twisting paths of the woods.

 They can hear the others not too far away, working together to bring down another of the deer, and they know not to stray too far from the rest of the pack.

 Niall’s faster than Harry and he cuts their prey off and Harry attacks, tearing at the animal’s throat.

 It dies quickly and Harry laps up the blood that spills from its throat, savouring the coppery flavour that made him feel so ill in human form.

 Niall nudges at him with his head and Harry understands.

 They work together to drag the carcass back to the where the rest of the pack are, feasting on their own catch, before starting on their own meal.

 There is safety in numbers, they all know that.

 They make short work of their food and soon they are cleaning themselves, removing any evidence of what they just done from their bodies, and Niall licks at the thick ruff of fur at Harry’s neck, his calloused tongue reaching where his mate’s cannot.

 The mood is light between the five of them as they set out again, returning the way they had come, and they play games as they pad through the quiet woods at a slow pace.

 They pounce on another, play fighting, and wrestle in the soft dirt, teeth and claws catching fur and skin but never with enough force to hurt.

 It has taken a lot of practice but they‘ve learned to be gentle with one another.

Harry never strays too far from Niall’s side.

 There’s something intoxicating about the other when they’re in this form, something that draws them together, and Harry feels it keenly in the hours they waste, awaiting dawn.

 They’re almost back to where Niall had first joined them when there’s the first sign that something isn’t right.

 Louis lets out a low whine that is echoed first by Zayn and then Niall.

 Harry sniffs at the air, cautiously, and Liam turns questioning ochre eyes on him.

 Harry growls and his body tenses.

 Humans.

 Hunters.

 There would be no other reason for normal people to be so far out into the woods at this time of night.

 The others tense, too, and without thinking they slip into formation as they continue through the woods.

 Being hunted is different from being the hunter and so Liam takes point this time and the others pull in close behind him, matching their great loping strides to that of their leader’s.

 Harry stands at Liam’s left and Zayn at his right and the other two, with their smaller bodies, slip into the space between.

 Their pace is quicker now and they all feel the urge to get back to the shack, to safety, and wait out the last hour until dawn in the comfort that it provided.

 But they also know they have to be careful, they can’t lead the hunters to their sanctuary, and this is why Liam takes them on a path that  goes straight passed where the shack is hidden and circles away from it, taking them in a new direction completely.

 The scent of human has become stronger and Harry growls once again to let the others know that the hunters have caught onto their trail.

 That they were following them.

 They can all hear the crunching of leaves and twigs underfoot and they break out into a run, knowing the hunters are directly behind them.

 There’s a sudden  _bang_  and a bullet whistles through the air overhead.

 They don’t stop, they don’t look back, they know it could mean death if they do.

 More and more shots sail passed them as the hunters grow desperate, afraid they’re going to lose track of the five wolves, and Liam increases their pace once again.

 They run in great arching circles, zigzagging in and out of the trees, and change their path constantly to try and throw their pursuers off. 

 It doesn’t work and Harry knows they can’t keep this up until dawn, they’re all panting and their limbs are starting to feel the strain.

 They need to lose them soon but Harry knows they won’t give up until dawn.

 He knows the laws of their world as well as the hunters do. The only chance they had to kill them was while they were in this form, once they became human again their deaths would be seen as murder, punishable under UK law with a life sentence in jail, and no hunter worth his name wanted to spend time locked away.

 Not when there were still so many of Harry’s kind to exterminate.

 Harry lets out a startled yelp of pain as a searing pain cuts through his hind leg. He stumbles to the floor and Niall is immediately there, nudging him to get back up and licking at his wound, and Harry lets out a whimper.

 The pack stop and surround Harry and the youngest knows they can’t stay still for long.

He watches Liam carefully and he knows the others are doing the same, waiting for some kind of sign, and then Liam looks between Harry, Louis and Zayn and nods his head in the direction of the shack and the order is clear.

 Harry pulls himself painfully to his feet and Louis and Zayn immediately flank him.

 Niall gives his mate one last lick and then the three are off, travelling as quickly as they can towards the shack.

 They hear Liam and Niall’s deep howls as they draw attention to themselves and distract from the three heading back to safety.

 By the crashing feet racing through the undergrowth, heading straight passed their slinking forms, they know their plan is working.

 The howls sound further away and there are the unmistakeable sounds of gunshots but Harry doesn’t let himself worry.

 Liam and Niall are the fastest in their little pack, they’ll keep themselves safe.

 Harry can’t let himself think any other way.

 They make it back to the shack without any trouble and Louis licks Harry’s wound clean as they sit and wait for the other two to return.

 The seconds seem to last lifetimes and Harry whimpers every now and then, partly from pain and partly from worry, and Louis and Zayn try to comfort him by curling their bodies around his and rubbing their heads against Harry, lovingly.

 They’re not expecting Liam when he suddenly appears in the small hole in the shack’s wall which they had left through earlier that night.

 Zayn is at his side in a second, sniffing at him and licking at his fur, but Liam is unharmed.

 He moves to Harry and checks the youngest’s wound before giving him a quick nuzzle and collapsing in the corner, panting and obviously exhausted by the chase he had just given the hunters.

 Niall joins them what seems like hours later and Harry feels his heart sink.

 Niall’s chest is matted with blood.

 He lets out a long whine and brushes passed Zayn when the older goes to him and instead, after a quick lick at his mate’s wound, slumps onto the floor at Harry’s side.

 That’s when Harry realises that the blood doesn’t belong to Niall.

 Harry nudges him with his muzzle and Niall turns toward him, letting Harry clean the blood from his fur.

 They lie together and wait.

 Louis is the first to change back as dawn finally arrives.

 Liam and Harry are not far behind as the transformation they had gone through earlier in the night is reversed.

 Liam pulls on the boxers he had discarded earlier before moving to Harry’s side and checking his wound more thoroughly.

 “It’s just a graze.” Liam announces, “you’ll probably need some stitches but you’ll be okay.”

 Harry nods and lets Liam help him into his underwear, “still hurts like a bitch.”

 Niall’s transformation starts then and Zayn’s begins a couple of minutes after but they both end at the same time with both teens shaking and crying from the absolute agony of it.

 Louis, now fully dressed, pats them both sympathetically on the shoulder before handing Niall his set of emergency clothes from the rickety chest of drawers in one of the corners of the shack.

 “Cheers, man.” Niall says, shakily, trying to calm his breathing.

 They’re all dressed before Zayn asks the question they’ve all been building in their minds.

 “Did you kill someone?”

 Niall doesn’t look at them and Harry suddenly feels sick.

 Still, he wraps an arm around his lover’s shoulders and pulls him close, planting a kiss on the top of his head, “it’s okay.”

 “I didn’t kill anyone.” Niall says, finally. “But I hurt them, I hurt them really bad.”

 “What happened?” Liam asks.

 “I made a mistake and I let one of them get too close, I had to bite him- he was going to shoot me otherwise. I had to.”

 “It’s okay.” Harry says again.

 “I nearly tore his fucking arm off.” Niall says with a shudder.

 “You did what you had to do.” Liam tells him.

 Harry smiles at the smaller boy, “like you said, you had better things to do tonight than die.”

 Laughter bubbles in Niall’s throat and he elbows Harry in the ribs, “you’re a dick.”

 “Strangely enough, I think you’ve told me that before.”

 Niall rolls his eyes at Harry but he doesn’t object when Harry pulls him in for a long and fierce kiss that has them moaning and groaning and desperate for more.

 Louis clears his throat, “don’t want to ruin the moment or anything, but, can we go now?”

 Harry gives the oldest boy a smirk and Niall blushes.

 Zayn snorts, “you’re always so fucking horny after a transformation.”

 “Must be the animal instinct.” Harry says.

 “Okay, I really don’t want to hear anymore.” Liam tells them, his cheeks stained pink. “Let’s go. It’s probably better for us to stick together, just until we’re out of the woods. There are likely to be some pissed hunters out there.”

 “Especially with Niall getting a little bitey.” Zayn jokes.

 “Do you think I-?” Niall asks, suddenly looking uncertain.

 “No.” Louis tells him, firmly. “It takes more than just a bite to change someone, you know that.”

 They leave the shack then and Liam and Louis lead the way with Harry supported between then while Niall and Zayn lag a little further behind, discussing this month’s transformation.

 They’re approaching the break in the woods, where the trees open out onto fields and streets and civilisation, when they hear voices from behind them.

 Louis and Liam’s hands drop from Harry’s sides and the five boys carry on walking, taking to the pretence of five friends out for an early morning walk with ease.

 “Have you boys just come from the woods?” A gruff voice calls out from behind them.

 They turn to face the group of men who have appeared behind them, looks of innocence and confusion plastered to their faces.

 “Sort of,” Zayn says with a shrug. “We’ve been walking down the edge of the woods since Briar’s Point. What’s it to you?”

 “It’s them.” One of the men whispers but all the boys hear him. “Look, you can see the blood on the curly haired one’s jeans were we nailed that wolf last night.”

 Harry doesn’t look down at his leg.

 His eyes are only for Niall.

 And Niall, Niall is staring in horror at one of the men at the back of the group, almost hidden by the rest of them, and Harry knows just from seeing the man’s face that he’s the one that Niall hurt last night.

 And that he knows Niall’s the one that hurt him, too.

 Harry sees their eyes lock and then it all happens so quickly.

 One second the two groups are just looking at each other then there’s a movement among the men and the crack of a gun and Niall’s falling.

 “No!” Harry screams and he’s at Niall’s side before anyone else can think to act.

 He kneels in the grass next to his lover and turns Niall’s body so that he’s looking up at Harry. The younger cradles the elder’s head in his lap and he can’t help the tears that are running down his face.

 “What the hell did you do that for?” One of the men shouts.

 “Shit.” Another says. “We better get out of here.”

 And they turn and run but Harry doesn’t care.

 He barely even notices because Niall’s deathly pale and he’s struggling to breathe and there’s just so much blood.

 “Fuck, they can’t- they shouldn’t have-.” Zayn murmurs in a detached voice, as if the situation hadn’t actually sunk in, and he collapses onto the grass at Harry’s side and presses his balled up jacket to the wound on the blonde’s chest. “Fuck.”

 Liam’s calling for an ambulance and Louis’ just stood there in shock but Harry doesn’t look away from Niall.

 “You’re going to be okay.” Harry tells him between sobs even if he knows it isn’t true. “You’re going to be fine. We’re going to go home and have mad hot sex and everything is going to be alright, okay? Just, hold on, baby, hold on.”

 But Niall’s breathing is already wet and Harry can hear it gurgle in his throat.

 He lifts Niall then and holds him close, kissing his face and soaking Niall’s face with his tears, and he doesn’t care that he’s covered in blood or that he’s stopping Zayn from helping Niall because there’s no point.

 Niall has minutes,  _seconds_ , left and Harry wants to hold him until the end.

 “Lo- lo…” Niall tries to say and Harry shushes him.

 “I know.” Harry tells him. “I know and I love you, too, Nialler. Don’t try to speak, it’s okay, I know.”

 “Lo- love you.” Niall breathes against Harry’s neck, so quiet that Harry nearly doesn’t catch it.

 Harry lets out a bark of laughter that is quickly swallowed by a sob, “you’re a stubborn bastard.”

 And then Niall’s body begins to twitch in Harry’s arms and Harry loosens his grip so that they can lock eyes for the last time.

 “I love you, Niall, I love you so  _fucking_  much.” Harry whispers, thickly.

 Niall’s sky blue eyes are glassy and unfocused and his teeth are stained red with blood but when he gives Harry the smallest of smiles, barely a twitch of the lips, he swears he’s never seen his lover, his mate, his  _everything_ , look so beautiful.

 “I love you.” Harry says again because he needs Niall to know.

 Niall grimaces and blood is suddenly spilling from his mouth and down his chin and his body gives one last, dreadful shudder and then he’s gone.

 “No!” Harry screams. “No! Niall, please, I fucking love you, please, no…”

 And he’s rocking and holding the limp body tightly in his arms and he can’t let go.

 “Harry…” Liam says and he puts a hand on his shoulder but Harry jerks away from his touch.

 “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Zayn whispers in shock. “They can’t. They shouldn’t have.”

 Louis is silent as he drops to knees and pulls Harry into a hug from behind.

 Harry tries to fight him but Louis doesn’t let go and eventually Harry stops trying and falls back into Louis’ embrace and sobs like he has never sobbed before.

 He lets Liam pry Niall’s body from his grasp just as the first wail of the ambulance siren reaches their ears.

 Too late.

 Too fucking late.

 And then Harry lets out a howl, the pure agony of grief and loss twisting together and creating a sound that echoes the pain of thousands of years of lovers left behind _,_ and something inside of Harry shatters.

 His link to humanity is broken.


End file.
